Preston Heyman


Preston Heyman is a British record producer, drummer and percussionist, whose career spans five decades. Best known for his collaborations with Kate Bush, he was also a member of the Tom Robinson Band and has contributed to many hit recordings and worked with a diverse range of artists including Terence Trent D'arby, Tin Tin Out, Massive Attack, Paul McCartney, Tina Turner and a Grammy Award-winning film soundtrack with Mike Oldfield.

Acting career

Although principally known for his musical career, Heyman's first experiences of show business came as a child actor and student of Corona Theatre School in London; while studying there he appeared in the films Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Goodbye Mr Chips with Peter O'Toole, Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River with Jerry Lewis, and Salt and Pepper starring Sammy Davis Jr. and Rat Pack star Peter Lawford, as well as in an episode of Z-Cars.

Early musical career

During this period, Heyman became increasing excited by music and asked by classmate guitarist Ronnie Caryl together aged 16 and still at school they cut their teeth in a touring band fronted by former Unit 4+2 singer Tommy Moellar playing their hit "Concrete and Clay" sometimes three times a night up and down the country. It was quite a "musical education age 16" he said later. In 1969, Heyman and Caryl formed the school band Sanctuary; the band's concerts often featured a friend from a rival stage school, Barbara Speake Stage School, the soon to be star Phil Collins in a two drummer set up Heyman and Collins playing the same fills which became the norm later when Phil joined Genesis, the two were to work again later when Collins asked Heyman to work with his band Brand X as percussionist. Leaving school on the brink of his GCSE exams explaining to his parents that he would not need them in a music career, Heyman secured an album deal for Sanctuary with Polydor recording an album at Rockfield Studios that remains unreleased.

Early studio career

Heyman's first chart success came as a member of British R&B funk band Gonzalez Drumming on their worldwide disco hit "I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet". He had long been a fan and was asked by bandleader sax player Mick Eve to join them on the eve of dates supporting Bob Marley on his Hammersmith Odeon shows. This led to many studio sessions as the Gonzalez rhythm and brass sections were always in demand especially with visiting U.S. artists. While in Air London Studio with Gonzalez recording tacks for their second album Our Only Weapon Is Our Music he was watched from the door by Brian Ferry who asked him when he finished if he would cart his drums along the corridor to the studio next door, he agreed and played on "This Island Earth" from The Bride Stripped Bare alongside bass player Alan Spenner and guitarist Neil Hubbard of Kokomo who were contemporaries to London funksters Gonzalez. And so began a long studio session career.

Kate Bush

Soon after this a telephone call came from Kate Bush and he worked with her rehearsing for 6 months as a member of her band before embarking on her Lionheart Tour later to become known as The Tour of Life and appears drumming on Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, which was later re-issued in 1994 as a boxed set audio CD as well as the video, and on Bush's On Stage a live recording of four songs performed on Kate Bush's Tour of Life in 1979. It was released on 31 August 1979 with "Them Heavy People" as the lead track, it peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the tour Bush then asked him into the studio to play drums and percussion and some backing vocals on the album Never for Ever. Released in September 1980, it was Bush's first no.1 album and was also the first ever album by a British female solo artist to top the UK album chart, as well as being the first album by any female solo artist to enter the chart at no 1. Heyman played drums along with the other Tour of Life Band on the B.B.C. T.V. Special KATE on which a new song "December Will Be Magic Again" was aired, later to be released by the B.B.C. as a DVD. He then went into the studio with Bush and played both drums and percussion on the single "December Will Be Magic Again" and again working with her on the 1982 album The Dreaming. His pounding drums featuring on her Single "Sat in Your Lap" recorded in the stone room at The Townhouse Studio 2 London with Paddy Bush and Preston on whip like percussion actually played on bamboo canes swooshing through the air rhythmically, both appear in the video as singing Bulls filmed in Orchestral Studio 1 Abbey Road. Critic Simon Reynolds called it "an avant-pop stampede of pounding percussion and deranged shrieks.
During this period Heyman also played with the Tom Robinson Band on the album TRB Two, produced by Todd Rundgren, and Atomic Rooster on their sixth album Atomic Rooster. 1984 and a recommendation from bass player friend Phil Spalding saw him in the studio with Mike Oldfield recording the soundtrack for Academy Award winning film The Killing Fields using unusual percussion instruments he had brought back from an extended trip to Indonesia after Kate Bush's tour.

Kim Wilde

In 1985, Kim Wilde asked him to join her band and he spent most of that year with her in France doing T.V. shows and concerts and appears in the video for her top 20 single "Rage to Love" which received a remix by Dave Edmunds. They also recorded a French T.V. special on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. And did a tour of Roman Amphitheatres in the south of France and Spain summer 1985.

Terence Trent D'arby

After studio sessions for the 1987 album Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby produced by Heaven 17's Martyn Ware he found himself drumming on the U.S.A. Billboard Hot 100 No 1 "Wishing Well" and features in the song's video. He joined Terence's band and spent the next 2 years touring the globe, every country they landed in both the album and single seemed to be No 1 and sometimes doing 5 T.V. appearances a day, describing it as "The worlds wildest craziest party that never ever stopped " eventually on the verge of another U.S. tour leaving saying he had to "save my sanity before it was too late to do so." Worldwide, the album sold a million copies within the first three days of going on sale.

Equipment

Preston endorses Evans Drumheads, Zildjian Cymbals, Tama Drums and LP Percussion

Discography

With Empire

Singles:
Singles:
WOMAD Music And Rhythm by WEA Germany The Best of Music & Rhythm
Pengosekan – Vic Coppersmith-Heaven

With [Randy California]

Singles:
With Heaven 17 Feat. Jimmy Ruffin
Single:
Singles:
Singles:
Singles:
;Single:
Single:
Fac 15
Stay With Me Till Dawn
Twisted by the Pool
Haven't You Heard

FAC 15 Ft. Cathi Ogden
Singles
Live at Hammersmith Odeon, on YouTube
Them Heavy People, on YouTube
Breathing, on YouTube
Army Dreamers, on YouTube
Sat in Your Lap, on YouTube
Kim Wilde
Rage To Love on YouTube
Heaven 17 Ft Jimmy Ruffin
The Foolish Thing To Do on YouTube
Paul McCartney
Only Love Remains on YouTube
Terence Trent D'Arby
Wishing Well USA No.1 on YouTube
Dance Little Sister on YouTube
Sign Your Name on YouTube
Introducing The Hardline Live on YouTube
Tin Tin Out
Here's Where The Story Ends on YouTube
Tin Tin Out Emma Bunton
What I Am on YouTube

Live performance and tours

Sanctuary Band – London College Concerts. Guest Phil Collins
The Rocky Horror Show Kings Road Theatre Pit Band Dep Drummer Various Dates
Kate Bush – The Tour of Life
London Symphony Orchestra / Kate Bush 75th Anniversary Concert Royal Albert Hall
Peter Gabriel Reading Festival with Phil Collins/Gerry Marotta
The Nolans British Tour
Roy Harper Glastonbury Festival and U.K. Tour
Randy California Glastonbury Festival
Kim Wilde European Tour
Paul McCartney Royal Command Performance
The Princes Trust Rock Gala Percussion with George Martin Level 42 Alexander O'Neal John Farnham
Terence Trent D'Arby World Tour
Eurovision Song Contest / Love City Groove
Jimmy Sommerville European Tour and Festivals
Tin Tin Out / Hyde Park Route of Kings Concert
Zohar / World Peace Music Awards /Bali/ Concerts in Lomndon, U.S.A. Tour and Singapore
Bali Jazz Festival
The Wolfmen London Concerts
Avivit UK Concerts and Big Green Gathering Festival
James Stewart Cape Town South Africa Live Album Recording
Laura Miller and Double Six London Concerts
Aigul Babaeva The Opera House Almaty Kazakhstan
Expo 2017 World Expo Astana Kazakhstan 2017 Concert With No Mad Karma